THE GENDER OF LAW

"The newly released IFC Report on Women, Business and the Law (2018) reveal that 104 economies still prevent women from working in certain jobs, because of their gender. In 59 economies there are no laws on sexual harassment in the workplace." This article is divided into three sections: Constructing ‘Honor” and “Shame” in the Law; Second Class Citizenship in the Law; and Are Laws Changing? While not focused on the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey, Afghanistan or Pakistan (all "Blue Bra Group countries), it is a related and valuable read.

LEBANON

"Presently, Lebanon hosts the highest number of refugees per capita in the world—more than 450,000 Palestinian refugees and close to one million Syrian refugees, three-fourths of them women and children. In addition to the tensions near its borders with Syria and Israel, Lebanon is still reeling from the effects of an internal armed conflict that dates back to the 1970s. Over generations, women bore the brunt of the war, as evidenced by women’s low participation in the labour force, which is estimated at 24 per cent. Lebanon has only one female minister in a 30-member Cabinet and no women serve as governors. Moreover, women’s participation in the security and defense sectors does not exceed three per cent."

PAKISTAN

"In Pakistan, women are twice as likely to suffer a greater burden of mental health than men. Religious, ethnic and societal conflicts, dehumanizing attitudes towards women, the role of the in-laws and extended family systems in the everyday lives of women, coupled with overbearing misogyny in society continue to marginalize women, as the men around them exercise their culturally-accepted rights to control women."

EGYPT

"Amal Fathy, from Egypt, was arrested on 11 May for posting a video on Facebook condemning sexual harassment and criticising the Egyptian government for their inaction. She was detained for 15 days. The next day a Supreme State Security prosecutor interrogated her in another case about her alleged connection to a youth activism movement. One of the cases against her has now been referred to trial, although the charges remain unclear. As a human rights researcher, who has interviewed many political prisoners and their families, Amal’s husband, Mohamed Lotfy, 37, reveals the heartache of seeing his wife imprisoned…"

SAUDI ARABIA

This cartoon by Jordanian Mahmoud Rifai makes the statement that lifting the Saudi driving ban on June 24 didn't do much to liberate Saudi women from the country's repressive guardianship laws and other women-targeted restrictions.

LIBYA

"21-year-old Fatima Nasser has created a food delivery app called Yummy, that delivers homemade meals cooked by women in their own kitchens. She has trialed the service successfully in hometown Sabha, and says that 300 cooks are ready to start work when the app launches this month in Libya's second-largest city Benghazi, and the capital Tripoli."

PAKISTAN

A conservative Islamic organization with "some 50 muftis linked with the religious organisation took the decision to issue fatwa regarding transgender marriage in a meeting on Sunday. The Fatwa says: 'A transgender person with visible signs of being a male' may marry a woman and vice versa for a transgender having 'visible signs of being a female.' The organisation also stated in the fatwa that a transgender person with 'visible signs of both genders' may not marry anyone." While Pakistan is conservative and very religious and homosexuality is outlawed, little by little laws have been passed to protect its transgender community.

PAKISTAN

"Transgender activists staged a passionate protest in the Pakistani city of Peshawar to condemn the murder and mutilation of a transgender woman. The August 20 demonstration came four days after a woman identified in local media as Nazo was reportedly shot dead at a wedding. Police said her body was later hacked to pieces. Two arrests have been made in the case. TransAction Pakistan, an activist group supporting the rights of transgender persons, said it was the 62nd killing of a transgender person in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province since 2015." Watch the 1 minute video below and see Comment Section for a related article.

SAUDI ARABIA

"Israa al-Ghomgham could be the first female political activist to be sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia/ [She] and her husband, Moussa al-Hashem, have been jailed for nearly three years on charges of anti-government protests, incitement to disobedience of the ruler, and providing moral support to participants in anti-government protests in the Shia-majority eastern region of Qatif."

MOROCCO

"Life for single mothers in Morocco is extremely difficult because families and society tend to reject them. But campaigners are trying to change attitudes." Watch 2 minute video report at: